Friday, 25 November 2016

Chocolate Cheesecake Pavlova.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most MercifulBasically my new favourite dessert.I know, I know, I say that to practically everything. But this one is serious. If I didn't have a mile long to-do list, I would go down to the kitchen right now and get it into the oven, ready for the weekend.

Because that's just what this chocolate cheesecake pavlova is. A weekend dessert. A showstopper. The kind of dessert that when you bring it out after dinner, everyone oohs and grabs their phone to take a snapchat.I've made many pavlovas on the blog before but never really done a chocolate one. Pretty surprising considering my love for all things chocolate. I finally got the chance to whip one of these up a few weekends ago and it was just the perfect gluten-free dessert after a lunch which consisted of roast chicken, mash and purple veg.We start by baking a chocolate meringue. The chopped dark chocolate makes all the difference here. The little nuggets don't fully melt and will have the same texture in your marshmallowy meringue as those in chocolate chunk cookies. Never a bad thing. We'll let the meringue cool fully (making it the perfect make-ahead pudding) before bringing it to life with a cheesecake topping. I was going to go with simple vanilla whipped cream but at the last minute, decided to pay ode to one of my earliest dessert blog recipes and whisked in some mascarpone. Not a single person complained. Pavlova, previously: rippled pavlova with lemon curd whipped cream + berries // cappuccino pavlova // strawberry pavlovaA Simple List of Ingredients:For the Chocolate Meringue:

This meringue will take a few hours to cool so make sure you plan ahead when you make it. I made it on a Friday night, let it cool completely overnight and then topped it to serve at Saturday lunch. First, let's pre-heat the oven and prepare a baking tray. Put the oven on to 180C.

Take a round pizza tray measuring at least 12 inches. For years, I have baked my pavlovas on a rectangle tray and only recently realised that a round pizza tray made more sense. You learn something new everyday!

Place a piece of baking paper over the tray.

Grab a 9 inch cake tin and place on to the paper.

Grab a marker and draw around the tin.

And, you've got yourself a 9 inch circle! We use a bigger tray measuring 12 inches because the meringue will expand as it bakes.

Flip the paper over so that the pen mark is underneath and fit to your tray. Set aside until needed.Next, it's time to separate 6 large Eggs into whites and yolks. If you're not sure how to do this, google it!

I used a stand mixer for this recipe. To make sure the bowl was extra clean, I wiped it out with some vinegar. Meringues hate grease so the vinegar will ensure that no grease remains. Place the egg whites into the bowl.

Fit the machine with the whisk attachment. I wiped this with vinegar so that it was super clean. You could also use an electric whisk.

It's time to whisk! Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

They will be all foamy at first.

But keep the machine going on a medium speed ...

... until you have soft peaks! You can't really over-beat a meringue so don't be afraid to keep going!

Once you have soft peaks, it's time to add in 300g Caster Sugar.

Keep the machine on a medium speed and the sugar in, a tablespoon at a time.

Once the sugar is all in, keep whisking ...

... until your meringue is glossy and really stiff.

Next, it's time to make this a chocolate meringue! We'll start with 1/2 teaspoon Salt.Next, balsamic vinegar. The vinegar will help to strengthen our meringue.

To bake the Chocolate Meringue:Pre-heat the oven and prepare a baking tray. Put the oven on to 180C. Take a round pizza tray measuring at least 12 inches. Draw a 9 inch circle on to a piece of baking paper - I traced round a 9 inch cake tin. Turn the paper over and fit in to the pizza tray.

Separate the eggs. Take 6 large eggs and separate them in yolks and whites. Make sure that no yolk gets into the whites. Place the whites into a large mixing bowl. I used a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment for this recipe but an electric hand mixer will do too.

Time to whisk! Whisk the whites over a medium speed until they form soft peaks. Keeping the speed on medium, add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, until the whites are glossy and super stiff. Do not be afraid to keep whisking even after all the sugar is in - getting the whites super stiff is really important for a good meringue so keep going if they're not quite there.

Let's make this a chocolate meringue. To the whites, add in the salt, balsamic vinegar and sifted cocoa powder. Gently fold in using a spatula until just combined.

Bake the meringue. Scrape the meringue out onto the baking tray. Smooth it out, using the circle on the baking paper as your guide. Once you have rough circle on your hands, put the tray into the oven. Close the door and turn the temperature down to 160C. Bake the meringue for 50-60 minutes or until cracked and crisp with a squidgy middle.

Cool! Cool the meringue completely before topping. You can do this by turning the oven off, opening the door and leaving the meringue inside. Or you can also let it cool completely at room temperature.

To make the Cheesecake Topping:So easy! Place the mascarpone into a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for a minute - this is just to break it up slightly. Pour in the double cream and whisk in just to combine the two. Then, add in the sifted icing sugar and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks. I prefer the cheesecake topping on the soft peak side but you may take it to stiff peaks, if you prefer. Taste and add more icing sugar, if needed.

To assemble the Chocolate Cheesecake Pavlova:Time for the berries! I like to serve mine straight from the baking tray because it makes life so much easier. Simply scoop the cheesecake topping on to the cold meringue and spread out, leaving the cracked edges exposed. Scatter over the blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Sprinkle over the shaved dark chocolate - I shaved mine with a potato peeler.

To eat and store the Chocolate Cheesecake Pavlova:Dig in! The pavlova does keep well in the fridge for an hour or two before serving. I like to take it out half an hour before serving because I think it tastes much better at room temperature. Slice the pavlova and enjoy! Any leftovers also keep well in the fridge for a day or two.

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM + WELCOME!

I'm Faatimah and welcome to This Muslim Girl Bakes. Here you'll find step-by-step photo recipes for both sweet and savoury halal dishes. I love putting my halal spin on many different world cuisines. On this blog, you'll find plenty of recipes for busy weeknights, slow weekends and everything in between. There's also plenty of traditional Pakistani food as that is what I was brought up on - the kind your mother used to make but you were always too scared to try.. Read more..

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Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Today, it's about time that I fi...

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